FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. SITTING ROOM - DAY
PETER is checking WhatsApp messages.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, a former classmate of mine shares a short emotive story of his dreams and I was one of the characters. He laments why he feels so bad that another of our classmates has recently passed away.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If he didn't tell, I wouldn't know I was in his dreams.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I dreamt of someone, but I wouldn't tell as they're just dreams.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But how nice it is to know that someone has little dreams of me, even as one of the extras?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What is significant is that I was in the dreamer's mind. I exist in that dreamy dimension.
Analyzing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My personality actually exists in the dreamy events of my former classmate's mind. He has actually dreamt about me, among others. It is a fact that he remembers the dreamy events after waking up.
Discerning.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): His literary piece has stimulated me to think about the philosophy of existence again.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. PALM SPRINGS, NT - DAY (2013)
A LADY (50s) is hosting a small party for half a dozen PEOPLE, including Peter.
INT. RESTAURANT, NT - NIGHT (2013)
The party enjoys dinner, chatting happily and endlessly.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was a rare event. Two former classmates have become successful businessmen in Macau. They came over to Hong Kong to engage and dine with us.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Two years later, one of them suffered a heart attack and his heartbeats stopped for a few minutes.
FLASHBACK
INT. HOSPITAL, MACAU - DAY (Spring 2015)
Open space. A WOMAN (30s) is crying. Peter goes inside a ward to see a PATIENT (50s) who is in a coma.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He's okay now but requires personal assistance most of the time. He's just a year older than me. He doesn't travel now.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Two years ago, he rang me, telling me that our lady classmate had rung him, disclosing that she was diagnosed as having brain cancer.
Remembering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's how I came to know about her condition. I respect the patient's preference.
Peter re-reads the short story on his phone screen.
MONTAGE
A. INT. CLASSROOM - DAY (Autumn 1971). Peter (17) and another six to seven STUDENTS are following a lesson. The GIRLS sit in the front.
B. EXT. GRAVES - DAY (Autumn 1974). Peter (20) takes the lead to pay tribute to two YOUNG MEN depicted in photos imprinted on their tombstones.
C. EXT. FUNERAL - NIGHT (Summer 2003): A masked Peter (49) pays tribute to a GENTLEMAN depicted on an alter-photo, as car-like incenses were burnt.
D. INT. HOSPITAL WARD - NIGHT (Winter 2013): Peter (59) speaks to a masked PATIENT lying motionlessly in bed in the middle of the night.
END MONTAGE
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We're in the same English Literature class in 1971. Two of our classmates were struck dead by thunders at Fung Wong Shan before sunrise in 1974. Our entrepreneurial classmate died in 2003 because of lung cancer and I bought a Mercedes later. Our classmate who went to Vietnam to save his pen pal died in 2013 because of bone cancer. And now, she's gone...
Pausing.
Peter (V.O.) (Cont'd): Those who are still alive will have those who have gone before them in their minds...until none of us exist.
Peter sighs.
Act 3
INT. SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Peter checks his WeChat messages.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, I haven't heard from her since our first encounter. It's very kind of her to ask about my well-being in Hong Kong.
Peter types on his phone, sees a response and types again.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): She's my instant fan. She doesn't hide her feelings...
Pondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Why should we? As social distancing has become the norm, if we keep on hiding our emotions and feelings, the other side wouldn't know. So, don't just dream, tell!
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've never said to my Dad that I loved him. Since his passing away, I've forgotten how many times I've the I-love-my-Dad outbursts.
Pondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My late Dad wouldn't know, but I can tell that he still exists in my mind, day in and day out.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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